Child of Nothing
by Codyknight22
Summary: After finally moving on from his past, it has become something that is finally within reach. He drops everything to find it, but will those closest to him hold him back? Sequel to Child of Grimm.
1. Prologue

Child of Nothing Ch. 1: Prologue

**Child of Nothing, and I didn't even reveal what this is for in the description. Though I'm guessing everyone here can figure it out... Anyways, let us begin. This will indeed be shorter then what the rest of the story will hopefully be.**

Professor Ozpin just watched the monitor, keeping a close eye on the target.

"Hunter team, move in slowly," he ordered. "Remember, this is to try and retrieve not to kill. No law has been broken, and we're trying to prevent that."

"Yes sir," a quick reply came. Ozpin watched as the four camera's attached to the hunter teams heads moved along, trying to catch sight of the cloaked figure. He switched around to the floating camera attached to a drone, and did his part. Somehow they had lost sight of the target. How was this possible?

Without warning, the drone suddenly plummeted to the ground. It was quickly attached to a tree, and then something moved from behind it.

"The drone just got pinned to a tree," Ozpin said quickly. "The coordinates are on your scrolls now." The four cameras shifted directions, and moved along through the woods. The only thing they caught sight off was a fleeting cloak, forcing the headmaster to sigh. "Stand down," he ordered. "We lost our target."

"Understood," the lead hunter replied. "Any word from any of the other teams?"

"No. I'm afraid that whatever hideout he has found is what he's using now. The more we interfere the more we lose him." He shut off communications right after ordering a full on retreat. He quickly leaned back in his chair, and sighed.

The chase had been going on for three months, and yet still no results. He was using everything that he had at his disposal, but still they found nothing. Well, they found plenty. But all it was was smokescreen. A careful pursuit, only matched by an impressive hider. It was the equivalent to finding a single grain of sand on a beech. He knew the landscape better, despite it being the Emerald Forest, a place just outside of Beacon. He could blend in much easier, forcing Ozpin to adopt new tactics. But despite all of this, he still evaded him. He didn't even break a law, doing things like pinning a drone to the tree to avoid those things.

Either way, it was frustrating to him. Nothing ever came close, and it only ever seemed to drag him further away. What was the endgame?

_Elsewhere: Emerald Forest_

The cloaked figure entered into the cave, and went to work. There was a vast array of bushes, sticks, rocks, and many other things that were only slightly moved to let him in. He quickly pulled everything together, and made sure that it was solid. He moved away from the wall, and just sighed.

He had been searching for the answers for three months. He had finally gotten the leads that he wanted, but then they came in. Ozpin, Goodwitch, even team RWBY. All it did was force him to hide instead of search for answers. Luckily, he had found this cave a long time ago. His first year at Beacon had been filled with trips to this forest. Since the Grimm had learned who was dominant, he very rarely had to deal with the locals. After a certain point in time, he had found this cave and marked it in his brain.

Now, all he had was this cave and a supply of food that he had hunted. He quickly light a fire, something not very difficult for him to do, and started to cook. In his second year at Beacon, after he had abandoned hope for finding the answers he had previously sought after so desperately, he got an answer. It was from a reliable source, thus forcing him to take a leave of absence. That leave ran out, forcing him to stay hidden. Unfortunately, they had caught on. Keeping him firmly bottled up in the Emerald Forest. But now he had a plan. A plan to draw them away from the point that he had to escape from.

But there was still the concern for others. Despite the fact that Ozpin meant him no ill will, his first year at Beacon was filled with enemies. All he had left was his friends, his guardian, and his team. Now, he might have something else to hold on to. His past, his history, more importantly his parents. One person was left with answers, forcing him to take the back door route.

He pulled back his hood, revealing his scaled head. After that, he quickly fashioned words out of the air. He slashed them away, getting angry at himself. He fashioned the words that he wanted to see, and leaned back. A name was important, and if he didn't remember his own, he might lose it.

_Drake Flame_

**End: Sticking with the theme of child, Child of Nothing is indeed the Child of Grimm, Mr. Derek/Drake Flame. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	2. Isolation

Child of Nothing Ch. 2: Isolation

**So a faster update then what will come, but because I did a prologue by all definitions I'm going to go ahead and give you a little bit more to sink your teeth into. So many plot questions that I can't address. But someone did bring up Ms. Monica Rogue, who will make her story debut this chapter probably. Also, my choice of Drake over Derek. How peculiar. Anyways, not too much of a surprise since this is a sequel, but thank you all for getting me over 10 follows and 10 favorites. So let us begin and explore a little bit further into the mind of Mr. Flame and company.**

The empty halls of Beacon were dead silent. This was a rare instance where no students populated the halls, and it wasn't uncommon anymore. Since Derek's absence, most of the teams were being funneled out of the school to look for him. LOOS, RWBY, JNPR, even the remainder of DRGN. But when the days were over and the hunt had failed, the silent halls were filled with chaos instantly. The anger that followed all of Derek's friends when they came home empty handed was immense. Thus, the arrival of teams DRGN, RWBY, and JNPR wasn't something that was welcomed by the silence.

The sound of angry talking soon became audible, and then it all went to hell.

"How have we not found him?" Monica's voice said, rising above the rest.

"I think we need to take this in stride," Pyrrha offered, taking on the roll {as probably one of the least angry people} of calming down her friends.

"We've been taking this in stride for two months, since the first month he still used his leave. So far, the stride hasn't changed. Why don't we flush him out of the forest?"

"Because he's still our friend," Gwen said, trying to apply logic to a situation where there seemed to be no logic. "And we'd have to flush him out with something like gas. Plus a cornered animal will fight."

"He's never cornered," Yang snorted. "He still has those wings, preventing a lot of common tactics. Even LOOS has come up empty with Olivia's wings. He's got a genetic advantage over all of us." Monica angrily walked over to Yang, her eyes blazing.

"What are you implying?" She asked slowly.

"That maybe we leave him alone. Let him finish whatever it is that he needs too."

"Whatever he's doing," Blake started, her eyes trained to her reflection in her sword. "It's not something that he wanted any of us to know about. Which means that no matter the outcome, he's probably going to get hurt." Blake quickly sheathed her sword, and faced her partner. "That means that it's our job to find him before he gets hurt." Yang just sighed, realizing that her argument had just been thrown away by her partner. Luckily for most of them, they reached the crossroads for their dorms. They quickly broke off without a word, and entered into their dorms.

_Emerald Forest: Cave_

Derek extinguished the flames, and flexed out his claw. He quickly walked over to the cave wall, and scratched in a single line, adding in another number to his long wall. He quickly moved back over to the empty fireplace, and just sighed. This had gone on for far longer then it needed too. He was forced to hide until something bigger came up. He couldn't even understand Ozpin's obsession with getting him back.

_I'm taking part of my leave. Something that I didn't use all of last year._

_This is rather odd. But your grades are compatible with taking a leave for one month. May I ask what it is for?_

_Business. Business that I will not leave unfinished. I don't care if it takes one month, but I have too end this._

At that, he had left. No more questions asked. Unfortunately, that one month wasn't enough. No one found him for another half month, but then someone must have remembered that he spent so much time in the Emerald Forest. Whoever that person was was not going to meet a happy greeting from Derek. He checked outside again, and saw how dark it was. _Even if they're out there, no one will be effective enough to outpace me. _He quickly flipped around his sword, and grabbed his spear.

He sheathed both weapons, and pushed aside his cover. He quickly made sure that the place was still only just visible, and then pushed aside his cloak to reveal his wings. He had actually lost his clothing {since it was unable to last the journey he had made} so all that Derek had left was his armor and an old cloak he had found somewhere in his journey. He had been extra careful not to burn it since it was the only thing concealing his appearance from the general public.

He flew up into the air, being careful to stay only just above the trees. If he needed too, he could just plunge straight down and lose anything chasing him in the general forestation. He sailed to the edge, which rested just outside of Beacon, and sighed. This was the hard part. It had been several weeks since he had last attempted to sneak by. Raising his sword in a defensive stance, and is spear resting at his side, Derek skirted around the shadows of Beacon. His cloak, luckily, was different shades of black and brown, so he blended right in.

Moving along silently, he peered up at the windows of the dorms. If he were to return, even to say hi, the odds that he'd be able to leave weren't good. So he was forced away from his friends, people who had become the closest thing to family for him. But even the promise he made to a dying Summer Rose didn't out way the promise he had made to himself all those years ago.

But, maybe there was another way. He made it around to the other side of Beacon, and took off in a sprint into town. Only one person would be able to get him connected with those that he needed, and it was time to pay him a visit. He was going back to the Rat.

_Beacon Academy: Team RWBY's Dorm_

Weiss wiped off the last of the grime on Myrtenaster, and put the sword away. She quickly took a look around the room, and saw the sad looks that rested on Ruby, Blake, and Yang's faces. Weiss, despite not exactly being on even terms with him, missed Derek as well. In a similar way to when Blake was gone, his quiet presence was something incredibly noticeable when it was gone. From a friendship standpoint, his willingness to do anything was missed. From a tactical standpoint, the knowledge that they no longer had the power was uncomforting.

Ruby, who had lost her mother all those years ago, wasn't handling Derek's absence well. He had made that promise to her to start the year. The promise that he was going to be the one to protect her, in honor of her mother. Yang tried comforting her, but it was clear that the blonde brawler was also hurting. Blake and Weiss seemed the most put together, but Blake could seem put together through anything. What could have drawn Derek away?

_The Rat's Nest_

Derek wrapped the cloak tighter, and looked at the front of the bar. He sighed, and stepped forward. The street lights were the only thing illuminating him, but it might have been enough. He walked up to the front, and took one look at the guard. He simply nodded, and moved aside. He swiftly entered the bar, and spotted the Rat.

"Ah, Mr. Flame," the Rat said, his thick Italian accent shining through his words. "You've returned." Derek sat down directly across from the Rat, and just placed his hands on the table. "You must have some kind of a big reason for coming to me." Derek remained wordless, waiting for his cue to speak. In his time doing minor business with the Rat, in person visits were going to be dictated by when the Rat cued Derek to speak.

"You know," the Rat continued. "I've had a couple of visits about you. Ozpin, that female team, your team, all of them came in offering a payday for finding you. You're one of the few people that have ever eluded my careful watch. So now that you're here, I'm one message away from reigning down Beacon on you." Derek remained silent, already knowing the Rat's next answer. "Even though I'm positive your pay won't be as much, I like a challenge. Plus I'm curious about what brought you out here." Derek pulled out his scroll, and slid it over to the Rat. "Still have your scroll, yet you elude me. I'm impressed." The Rat took a look at him, and his face started to fall.

"Why do you want to meet them?" The Rat asked, his voice lowering.

"Because they know something about my parents," Derek said easily. "That something is something I need to know." Derek dumped a bag onto the table, which prompted the Rat too look inside of it.

"How do you have all of this dust?" He asked breathlessly.

"I haven't ever used any," Derek explained. "Now, is this payday enough or do I have to do more convincing?"

"Your funeral." The Rat began digging, and Derek stood up. He snatched his scroll away, and tossed down a single strip of paper.

"New number," he explained. "I had to adjust to avoid Beacon." The Rat nodded, and leaned back in his chair.

"I'll contact you when I have something. Be warned, you might want to keep a low profile for the next week or so. They might take a bit to find." Derek nodded, and exited the bar. There was still one more thing he had to do.

_Beacon Academy: Near Dorms_

Derek looked up at the dorms, and checked for the lights that he wanted. Upon seeing them, and kneeled down on the ground. He quickly extended a claw, and covered it in flames. He wrote something down on the ground, and stepped away from the words. He looked up, and saw no movement. _Dammit. You guys really aren't too observant. Oh well, it's time to do something that maybe they could notice._

_Team DRGN's Dorm_

Monica was looking out the window, as she always was. There was a piece of her that still hoped that Derek would return, despite the fact that the odds that might happen were very slim. She let out a sigh, and looked back at her team. Maybe it was time to call it quits for the night. Before she could stand up, something bright went sailing into the air. Monica's eyes took a moment to adjust, but she identified it as a dragon crafted from flames. Her eyes trailed down to where it had gone up, and her heart sailed.

"Derek," she muttered. She ran outside, Gwen and Monica trailing her without question.

All of DRGN made it to where Derek had been, and RWBY, JNPR, and several other teams followed along shortly. All of them looked around, but only caught sight of a dark figure flying off in the distance. Monica was about to angrily slam her spear in the ground, but she caught sight of something in the ground. In claw marks and flames, a clear message was stated.

_This is something about my past. Back away from this, or I will have to fight. I do not wish to injure any of you, but I'm willing to do what's necessary to get what I want._

_-Drake_

Perhaps the clearest part was the ending. Maybe this explained why they had been unable to find him. They had been hunting Derek, the friend that had a mean streak but was always reliable. Instead, they should have been hunting Drake.

The cold blooded monster that left nothing to chance when it was hunting something.

**End: Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	3. Pending

Child of Nothing Ch. 3: Pending

**Not a whole lot to address, except to say thank you for getting me over 20 followers! Now let's get going again.**

Derek woke up from his shaky sleep, and peaked outside. It was still early enough for him to go outside without a high concern of anyone finding him. He quickly pushed aside his cover, and stepped outside.

He thought about taking to the sky, but he actually needed to gather some supplies. His meat and vegetation supplies were starting to run low. Which meant no flight until he had to return, which by then was probably going to be too late to actually be able to fly. So that meant a day of walking, which was never any fun.

Derek wrapped his cloak around him tightly, making sure that only his eyes were visible. If he needed fire, he had a quick knot that he could pull to expose his mouth. But for now, his claws, sword, spear, and tail would suffice.

He walked outside, and checked around the bushes that grew berries around his hideout. Not surprisingly, all of them still had nothing edible on them. Derek just ignored them, and pushed past the bushes. He didn't walk for much longer until he found a set of bushes that held berries. On top of that, Derek remembered that the leaves were also edible. He quickly pulled out his sword, and started to cut off certain sections. He finished up, and reached for the inside of his cloak. He quickly placed all of his items inside of it, and tucked it away again.

He walked on, quickly shredding apart any and all of the bushes that held those leaves and berries. Before long, his bag was reaching a point of fullness. He kept his nose to the air, and silently stalked along. His main hope was that some kind of animal would stroll in. Technically the Grimm were edible, but tracking them down was tough when they always ran.

He heard some branches snap, and quickly climbed up a tree. He looked down, and watched as a deer walked into view. He quickly spun around his spear, and leveled it carefully. He tossed it forward, and caught the deer in the chest. It didn't drop instantly, and instead it tried to run. Derek quickly jumped down, and glided directly over to it. He quickly swung his sword forward, and cut the deer's throat. It finally fell to the ground, dead, and Derek just smiled slightly. He quickly slung the deer over his shoulder, and started to walk back.

He got along fairly far, but heard even more rustling. He quickly scaled another tree, and made sure the deer was slung very carefully over his shoulder. He quickly raised a burning hand to the open wounds, and cauterized the open wounds.

"Ozpin said sweep this area," a male voice said.

"Clearly he didn't come this way," a female one added in.

"My nose is telling me otherwise right now," the male one replied. _Wait, I know those voices. Ah shit. _He quickly sheathed his sword and spear, and remained dead still as the people came into view. If his previous luck was anything to go off of, it was going to hold too this level. Gwen, Nathan, and of course, Monica, entered into the clear.

"What do you mean?" Monica asked, her interest peaked. _Definitely wasn't Monica who was talking earlier, meaning Gwen is the only one who doubted me. Why didn't they listen to Gwen?_

"I mean," Nathan continued. "He was here. No, not was. The smell is still strong. Either he was here recently, or he's still-." Nathan paused, and then looked straight up. Derek sighed, and jumped down from his hiding spot. "D?" Nathan asked. "What's with the new look?" Derek tossed aside his deer, and made mental note of where it landed. _A bit dusty later on, but it'll do all the same._

"Derek?" Monica asked slowly.

"Bzz," Derek said, choosing to replicate the incorrect game show sound that he often heard from Gwen's scroll. "Guess again."

"Quit messing with us D," Gwen said, her hand resting just over her axe.

"Once again, wrong answer. Any other guesses?"

"Drake," Nathan finally said, pulling out his axe. Drake just nodded, and unsheathed his sword, spear, and whipped around his tail. He quickly took off his cloak, and tossed it over the deer {in hopes to cover it from the bugs}, and flexed his spikes.

"Derek, I know you're just trying to-," Monica tried.

"Wrong answer again," Drake growled. "You have no idea what it is that I'm trying to accomplish. Simple fact is, no one does. No one besides me, and a select few. Now, are you going to back away or am I going to have to convince you?" Nathan spur around his axe, and Gwen grabbed her own. Monica reluctantly pulled out her spear, unwilling to battle with Drake. Unfortunately for her, Drake had no such issues.

Gwen ran forward, and flung out a blast of wind. Derek easily ducked out of the way, and stepped towards her. Gwen wasn't expecting such a passive response, and she had to stop for a moment. The moment she did, Drake's spear went hurling towards her face. She easily deflected it, and then he quickly stepped right in front of her. He quickly knocked the axe away, and then slammed his fist into her temple.

Before he could even turn, something wrapped around his feet. He looked down, and noticed the ice sitting there. Not even bothering to heat up, he quickly broke out of the ice and ran straight at Nathan. Nathan was already raising his axe in defense, and Drake just pulled his feet out from underneath him. He quickly brought the pommel of his sword into Nathan's temple, and started to stand up. Before he was fully upright, his sword became too electric to hold.

He quickly tossed it away, and turned to face Monica. Before he could even try anything, she blasted a bolt of lightning straight at him. He quickly ducked, and flexed his claws. He ran forward without a second thought, and Monica thrust her spear straight at him. It wouldn't have done anything, but she used it to conduct a bolt of lightning straight into his chest. Drake went flying back, and slammed into a tree. He looked too his left, and saw that his cloak and deer were right there. _I can either fight to hurt, or I can run. _Drake made the choice, and puffed out a solid line of flames. Monica jumped back, but then noticed that Gwen and Nathan were still blacked out and went over to them. Drake quickly grabbed his cloak, and then slung the deer back over his shoulder. He took off in a sprint, and didn't look back.

_Hidden Cave: Several Minutes Later_

Derek came sprinting in, and quickly placed the deer on the ground. Faster then he had ever done before, Derek placed all of his cover in the way again. He quickly puffed out a small ball of flames to light the fire, and then walked over to the deer. Choosing to ignore the events that had taken place for now, Derek quickly butchered the deer and placed all of the pieces of meat into some leaves that he had grabbed, and made sure that they were covered correctly.

As soon as he had finished, his mind seemed to drag himself closer to the events that had just taken place. He had just fought his three closest friends, and won. But he had willingly fought them instead of going with them. How badly did he want this?

_Beacon Academy: Medical Ward: 30 Minutes Later_

Monica sat next to Nathan and Gwen's beds, her eyes trained directly on them. Roxanne, the nurse on hand, had said that both of them would wake up soon and that it was just a simple concussion. But that wasn't what was worrying Monica.

It had never been more apparent to her that she was truly hunting Drake. The speed in which he had decided to fight his friends. The ease with which he laid down the fire. Everything pointed to what he called his demon.

The thing that should be made apparent about Derek was that he had two sides. The first side was Derek, the protective friend who was trying to shake a rough start to life. Then there was Drake, the persona that embodied any and every horrible stereotype that would be associated with a Grimm hybrid.

The door to the medical bay opened up, and some familiar faces walked in.

"Hey Moni," the cheery leader of team RWBY said. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," Monica said instantly.

"Moni," Yang said, staring her friend straight in the eyes. "You're an awful lier. Have been since Signal. Now, spill."

"It's really him," Monica said, keeping an eye on Gwen and Nathan. "It's not Derek. It's the monstrous side of him, Drake." Team RWBY went silent, and looked around awkwardly. "He avoided any killing blows, but I wonder how much was his conscious of legality?"

"Don't talk like that," Blake said, her expression darkening. "He has to still care about us. I'm guessing that he didn't attack you right away, he hid." Monica nodded, and Blake just pondered it. "Drake may be the monster, but he's not all bad. There's no such thing as pure evil. Drake and Derek are merely different pieces of the same puzzle. They all equal the same thing. That thing has to care for us."

"Wake up Blake," Weiss said angrily. "Gwen and Nathan are concussed, and he tried to kill Monica."

"There's no way he would ever try to kill Monica," Ruby spoke up, allying herself with Blake. "He loves her." Monica let out a small noise, but no one noticed it.

"So blowing out a stream of flames at her isn't an attempt on her life? On Gwen and Nathan's lives as well, since they couldn't even run. Yang, what do you think?" The brawler was unusually silent, but then she finally started to talk.

"For once, I'm with Weiss," Yang said. "Nothing about Drake's actions read, 'good guy.' Everything reads someone who is willing to kill."

"The fire was probably to get away," Blake said, angrily turning to her partner. "He didn't blow it directly at Monica, he blew it at the ground. Then he grabbed his supplies and ran. We've all seen Derek and Drake fight. If he was really going for the kill, he wouldn't have left anything to chance." The four girls continued to argue, while Monica just looked at her two teammates sadly. She didn't know what side to believe.

**End: Questions {even though I know what ones to expect this time}, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	4. Waiting and Plans

Child of Nothing Ch. 4: Waiting and Plans

**So nothing to address, but thank you for getting me over 20 favorites. Let's get going.**

Derek tended to the fire a little bit more, and just sighed. It had been two days since his encounter with his team, and it hadn't left his mind. He didn't want to deny his care for Monica, far from it actually. But he had a task to focus on, and that task was something that trumped everything in his life at that moment. Even his friends, promises, and Monica.

It was unfortunate that they hadn't taken his warning. He knew that he had run a risk laying down the layer of flames to aid his escape, but some part of Derek had to function. While the Grimm in him would have happily torn them apart, Derek told himself to keep them alive. To rationalize it in his mind, he told himself that he was simply avoiding the law. But a little more truthfully, he couldn't stand to see them hurt. It was one of the few things that kept him from killing them initially, and now it was keeping them alive again. Where the hell was the Rat?

_Beacon Academy: Ozpin's Office_

He sat there patiently. He had called teams RWBY, JNPR, DRGN, and LOOS to attention, using the teams closest to Derek for this. He needed them to know his plan, so that they might be able to assist in executing it. The door finally opened up, and the 15 students walked into the room.

"Take a seat," he said instantly. He had laid out 15 chairs for them, knowing exactly what was going to happen.

"Why'd you call us here?" Olivia asked, even though she knew full and well what this would lead too.

"Derek Flame," Ozpin said slowly. "Or as we now know, Drake being the more appropriate term." All of them were dead silent, and they patiently waited on Ozpin to speak. "I'm calling off the search parties," he finally said. Immediately, LOOS, DRGN, Ruby, and Blake were at their feet.

"You want to do what?" Monica asked aggressively, the pressure in the air thickening at her anger.

"The search parties," Ozpin continued boredly. "But, that's because we're getting no where. Derek knows the forest better then anyone, even LOOS chose to spend time away from it. His scent is blending in with the rest of the Grimm, which is an issue. He's making sure to leave no tracks, whether that'd be by flying or wiping them away. I have no idea how, but he's staying hidden from us. Plus our resources are limited, and despite how many favors I want to call in I simply don't want to burn them just yet. So I have another plan." Now everyone was listening again.

"We setup snipers outside of the school," Ozpin said. "We have them stay on full alert, and they will be authorized to shoot at the sight of Derek."

"You're trying to kill him?" Blake growled.

"No. A single round won't punch through his armor or scales, much less both. But it will alert the rest of us to his presence. He has already displayed a reluctance to fight to kill, thus being the reason that Monica was able to repel him."

"Bullshit he's displayed reluctance," Yang growled. "He shot out flames at Monica, while Gwen and Nathan were unconscious."

"Plus we know it's Drake," Weiss added in. "I have yet to see Drake hesitate to do anything."

"But the flames were placed at his feet," Ozpin continued. "He risked more damage to that cloak he has then the rest of DRGN."

"I don't understand why we don't just let the hounds after him," Weiss said haughtily, unwilling to admit defeat.

"Listen here, _heiress," _Stephen added in, his claw raised clearly into the air. "I know you mean us by hounds, and don't think we haven't tried. He took his gems, burned his sheets, clothing, and he took the one picture that he saved. Plus he's hiding in a forest of Grimm, hiding a tree in a forest so to speak. We have no way to properly track him, unless we get him out in the-." Stephen stopped, and looked back at Ozpin. He grinned widely, and folded his arms.

"Olivia," Ozpin continued. "I also want you at the ready. Unfortunately, Lou, Orion, and Stephen don't have a way to fly so you're on your own for this one. I expect him to make a move soon. We have one chance at this." Olivia nodded, and flexed out her wings.

"I'm ready whenever he is," she said. Ozpin nodded, and smiled.

"One more thing," Weiss inserted, not at caring as to what he might have said. "Something's been troubling me ever since this has started. Why haven't we tried Derek's scroll?"

"Easy," Gwen said, having been the one in charge of it. "He melted the damn thing and tossed it somewhere else. If he has a scroll, we know nothing about it. Rat's been busy looking for it, but so far nothing."

"So is everything now clear to you, Ms. Schnee?" Monica spat. Weiss just shrugged, and Ozpin finally sighed.

"Good," he said happily. "Then let us all be ready. I expect Derek to try something very soon."

_Hidden Cave: Emerald Forest_

While Ozpin may have said that he expected him to move, Derek's only concern was hunkering down. The deer that he had killed was still in plentiful supplies, and he was eating whenever he needed it. He took a morning and night flight, attempting to avoid any and all search parties. It, unfortunately, left him with more time to think.

His defenses were currently well taken care of. Footprints disappeared facing the opposite direction of where his cave was, and then they only reappeared within the cave. He picked a roosting place nearby a known former {his fault} Taituo's nest, thus meaning that there was little chance of anything short of a blatant smell seeming off. Of course, he would be emitting odors that would be strongly Taituo. So Derek constantly rubbed himself in a strong smelling bush that was nearby {one that he offered no edibility} and covered his cave with the same bush. Nothing would seem too suspicious.

But of course, this was all physical. He had avoided making direct eye contact with anyone that he had known for a very long time. Then, he was forced to face his team. Drake did that, not Derek. But still, no matter what he told himself, it was hard not to be tempted to return. He just thought of his team.

He had Nathan, the arrogant, cocky, smart ass, wolf Faunus that had a wicked cold streak and was incredibly skilled with an axe. He had Gwen, who was a quiet, analytic, and intelligent girl that was the perfect compliment to Nathan's know-it-all attitude. He definitely cared deeply for both of them, but they held nothing to Monica.

The first person to really try to get to know him, and he had shut her out. It was all out of fear of course. Those that had gotten involved with him died. Except Ozpin, no one touched Ozpin. But then the fear subsided, and he let her in. He fought tooth and nail to keep her safe, and ultimately was rewarded with Monica's well being. But now, she was fighting for something he didn't want.

He heard something rusting outside, and he quickly extinguished his fire. He briefly tossed a small piece of soaked bark over the embers, and hid around the corner. He let his ears perk, and settled in.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" A tentative voice asked.

"Hey, this was only a suggestion," a more serious one replied. "You're the leader here."

"But Ozpin said we shouldn't be doing this."

"Ozpin said he's canceling search parties. That doesn't mean we can't try one last place." He heard a slight rustling outside of his cave, and he quickly held his breath. He heard a pause, and he could tell {without even looking} that there were a pair of laser focus eyes staring into the cave. He held his sword a little tighter, and then felt the presence leave.

"He was definitely here," the serious voice started. "He might even still be there."

"So here's what we do," the voice, previously tentative now more asserting, started. "We'll tell Ozpin that we searched this area, and this place is marked off. He was never here." Derek almost sighed in relief, but maintained a little bit more of breath control. He could feel the presence of the two people leave, and then he let out all of his breath. Things had gone well, but now he had to face one thing. He knew those voices. Blake and Ruby had come searching for him, but what'd they say about Ozpin calling off the search parties? He was now very concerned about everything, but he had to focus on one thing.

He heard a brief ping on his scroll, forcing him to check.

_I got an address for ya. Meeting will be arranged as soon as I can, but you're gonna have to there early. Needless to say they're not exactly trusting._

_I understand. Find a spot, hide out, disguise myself. Any advice?_

_Already have a spot and artist ready for ya. Consider that a free bonus._

_Thanks Rat._

_But you'll have to get moving tomorrow. Clear?_

_Clear._

Derek put down his scroll, and stretched out. It was time to move out, but what was being planned for him?

**End: Shorter chapter, but I can promise that the next chapter will have some length. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	5. Rendezvous

Child of Nothing Ch. 5: Rendezvous

**Only thing to address is why Derek/Drake is hiding in a cave. Hidden, concealed, harder to find. Like I have previously stated, and therefor will not fully cover again, he wants to stay hidden. This means an awful lot to his character. Thank you for getting me to 30 followers for this story. Now, let us begin.**

Derek ran his arm over his sword, and then repeated the process. It was mid-afternoon of the day he was scheduled to leave for the task. He had to be at the room before 12:01, meaning he had little room for error. Leaving in broad daylight would have been bad, thus reasoning that he had to depart by darkness. Darkness meant fewer people would be out, but it would also have higher suspicions attached to then. It didn't help him that Ozpin had only just called off the search party, meaning suspicions were going to be at an all time high.

He sighed, and gave one last scrape of his sword. His single goal was going to be eluding people, and his hopes were that he wouldn't have to use either of his weapons, or any of his natural resources as well. But there were many people to be concerned about. Every member of LOOS, Gaius, Sal, pretty much any Faunus that he knew, except maybe one.

Blake Belladonna, the cat Faunus and a former close friend, had identified where he was. She had to have known everything about this location to even start to identify it, which made him curious, why not have this surface earlier? Something was causing Blake to keep him hidden, making him wonder why? Why would she even bother with this? Surely there was something more to be held among just turning him in. Even his team wanted him back. So why? These were questions he hoped to get an answer too.

_Beacon Academy: Team DRGN's Dorm_

Monica finished up the last of her work, and then tossed aside her books. She was anxious and annoyed. They hadn't come across anything to assist in the process of finding Derek, and all that was being put between them was distance. He took no one with him into the Emerald Forest, meaning that Monica didn't even have the slightest of ideas as to where he could even potentially be hidden. It was nothing but furry inside of her. Why did he leave them?

For the other female on DRGN, it was a very different feeling. Gwen had to take an analytic approach to things, as was always her goal. She stepped back, and reviewed the info that she had. Derek felt comfortable in very few places, and the Emerald Forest was one. Originally, the Grimm had tried to fight him for nothing but dominance of the forest. They felt no ill will towards him since he was part Grimm, but they felt very territorial. That was the reason that Taituo had targeted him initially.

But now, he felt fine there. Nothing bothered him because every Grimm was much wiser now. They knew that fighting a dragon was suicide, especially when that dragon had the capabilities that Derek did. Now she had to account for where he was most comfortable, and that was at Beacon. Something had to make him leave the safety of Beacon, the comfort of his friends, and the certainty of his future. There was one thing that Gwen could think of, but she was unwilling to say what it was unless she was positive. But a theory was better then nothing.

_Beacon Academy: Later on that Night_

Blake waited at the ready. Team RWBY had been divided into shifts to start the wait. Blake happened to wind up with the night one. She patiently sat at the window, and gently rolled something around in her hands. If it came down to Derek being caught in a fight, Blake knew exactly what she would have to do. Her and Ruby discussed this to great lengths. They were the only two that seemed to believe that this was something highly personal to Derek, meaning that both of them were in charge of defending him until he achieved that goal.

_Outside of Beacon_

Drake had his sword and spear drawn, and he was kneeling slightly. It was just about time to make his move. He had watched as many students had ducked into their homes, and all of the teachers made their way across campus. He carefully calculated his route, and watched as certain lights were extinguished, thus allowing for his route to be possible.

He moved along slightly, and ducked behind a bush. He moved along at a low angle, and took a quick flight over to a tree. He landed, and peaked around the corner. He let out a sigh of relief as he realized that no one had seen him just yet.

_Dorm Rooftop_

Pyrrha Nikos was the student that was currently stationed on the rooftops. She had drawn the second night for sniper duty. It was no sweat to her. She firmly believed that he was supposed to uphold his duty, thus meaning she felt completely comfortable with her task of putting a single bullet in his chest. She wouldn't feel comfortable if she didn't know that it wasn't going to kill him, but details were details.

She noticed something moving in the distance, and she quickly zoomed in further. It was hard to make out a clear image, especially since the figure appeared to be shrouded in some kind of cloak. But one detail was clear to her, and that was the face. They were covered in scales. Plus there were a pair of unmistakable wings attached to their back. Pyrrha reached her hand up to her ear, and clicked gently.

"I see him," she said into the earpiece. "Olivia, get in ready position. Watchers, wake your teams. Shot is being taken as soon as I can get a clear view." She heard several sounds of confirmation, including one from her own leader. Pyrrha waited for him to make his next stop, and then took a deep breath in. Her finger rested lightly on the trigger, and she waited for the crosshairs to rest squarely on his chest.

_Drake_

He patiently stood just behind another tree, waiting on his time to move. He contemplated making another move, but he saw a flash. It was subtle, a small movement that might not intrigue many people. But this was paranoia setting in, so he just prepared to move. He saw a second flash, and he quickly ducked. Something whizzed over his head, and then he stood and focused his vision in. Pyrrha was on top of the dorm roof, her rifle propped up and pointed straight at him. He made a move to run, but two people stepped in front of him.

He twirled around his sword and spear, and shot a menacing glare to the two people. He felt more surround him, and he quickly guessed that he wasn't dealing with only team. _So they want to play hard ball. That, I can do. _He puffed out flames over his sword and spear, and watched as they clung to the bone and steel.

The first man behind him made a move straight at him, and Drake easily ducked out of the way. He quickly grabbed onto the weapon, a spear, and tossed it away. He spun around and slammed the pommel of his sword into the head of his opponent, and watched as he fell over. A second attacker was already upon him, this time it was a female who wielded a pair of daggers. She swung at his head, forcing him to bend back slightly. She continued to strike at his stomach, knees, neck, chest, neck, and stomach. He easily stepped away from all of the strikes, and then knocked away her daggers. He quickly brought his knee into her stomach, and tossed the groaning girl away. He took a moment to recognize how little he had used his weapons, and then extinguished the flames. _And so hand-to-hand holds an advantage here._

He waited on his next attacker, and quickly disarmed and concussed them. He repeated the pattern until a small pile lay around him. He grinned down, and started to walk again. This time, a bullet struck him across his face. He quickly spun around, and narrowed his gaze.

"Hi," Sal said, his gun sword pointed straight at him. "Remember me?"

"Yup," Drake growled. "And I remember a lot about you."

"Such as?" Drake quickly spun around, and swung his fist hard. He felt it make contact with something, and watched as a girl in a purple cloak fell over. He quickly tossed around some flames, until something solid formed up. He kicked forward, and watched them collapse as well.

"Such as Sarah and Nor," Drake finished up. "Along with Alan more then likely being a fair distance away. Such as..." Drake quickly ducked out of the way, and felt something land behind him. He quickly tossed a ball of flames off in the distance, and watched as something scrambled to the ground. "Team ASSN is nothing but predictable," Drake growled. He felt something slam into his side, and he quickly stumbled back.

He struggled to an upright position, and looked around. He saw Jaune and the rest of JNPR standing by him. Jaune was securing his shield back on his arm, causing Drake to growl a little bit more. He stood at the ready, and watched as Nora readied her hammer. She quickly ran forward, and swung it around in a big arc. Drake just flew up into the air, and swung his foot down. He felt it make solid contact with her head, and tossed her aside. He felt a pair of blades slash at him, and he growled again. He reached out into the air, and grabbed onto something. He pulled, and felt some kind of robe come clean off.

He looked back and saw Ren waiting patiently for him to make a move, and just sighed. Drake stepped forward, and let Ren's bullets reflect off his armor. He quickly reached the fighter, and swung around his fists. Ren threw up his blades to defend against him, but Drake just moved past them. He quickly slammed his fist into Ren's head, and watched as the fighter collapsed. He quickly felt something slam into his stomach, and then someone jump up at him. Without thinking, Drake swiped at the air, but felt a bullet enter into his chest. He stepped back, and watched as Pyrrha rolled to her feet.

He growled angrily, and ran at her. Pyrrha leapt up from her crouched position, and swiped at Drake. He easily deflected it with his arm, and the quickly grabbed onto hers. He tossed her away, and then stepped forward. He noticed Jaune, still standing behind the others, his sword and shield raised. He quickly moved forward again, and knocked away both items.

"Ahehe," Jaune managed. Drake just kicked him in the stomach, and then threw him away from everyone else. He felt something else hit his back, causing him to turn angrily. He noticed Sal and Alan staring at him, both of their weapons raised. Drake ran forward, and Alan swiftly fired off a water arrow. He was doused with water, but all it would do was impede on his flames for a short while. He quickly made a move right at Alan, but saw Sal stepping in front of him.

"Sorry Derek," Sal said. "I have to-." Without a warning, Drake threw forward one of his spikes. and Sal had to duck. He quickly ran forward, and swung his fist straight at Sal. He made contact with his stomach, and then threw him away. He reached Alan, who was trying to knock one last arrow. Drake quickly grabbed his bow, and yanked it away. He tried to recover, but Drake launched a kick straight at his chest. Alan fell over, and groaned loudly. He moved away from them, and dusted off his scales.

He felt something slam into his face, and then burst outwards. He reached up, and looked around for the culprit. He saw all of team RWBY waiting on him, their weapons poised to fight. He growled angrily, and ran forward. Yang was the first to step up, and she quickly fired off several rounds at his stomach. He quickly spun out of the way, and swung around his arm at her face. Yang collapsed to the ground, but he had no time to react to Weiss' first strike. She swung around her sword at his chest, and then activated more water Dust. He felt him grow more damp, but this still didn't form a real detriment to anything. He quickly knocked away her next strike, and then swung his fist at her face.

Before he could do anything else, a strong blow was felt at his arm. He quickly turned to face where it had come from, but saw nothing there. Immediately, he faced the opposite direction and raised both of his arms. He felt a sword make contact with them, and saw Blake standing there. He was about to shrug her off, but was cut off before he could.

"Struggle," Blake whispered. Drake obliged, purely because he was unsure of what she was trying to accomplish. "Ruby's going to come in soon, knock her out. Then I'm going to rebuttal, and you'll have to knock me out too. After that, run. But take something with you. Push." Drake obliged again, and threw Blake back with the force. Immediately, Ruby's scythe came swinging straight at him. She quickly flipped it around, and tried to catch him in the back. Drake ducked under it, and swung a strike at her stomach. Ruby jumped back, but Drake jumped forward and caught her in the stomach. Ruby started to fall over, but Drake tossed her away before she did. Blake was on him immediately, and swung around a single hand strike at him. Drake blocked it with his arm, but saw Blake roll something off her fingers. He hit her away, and then grabbed it. He quickly looked down at it, and smiled slightly. _Yes, this will definitely help._

He quickly pulled the pin away, and tossed it to the ground. He turned, and extended his wings.

_Olivia_

She was watching the scene intently, observing as Drake fought away everyone. Her team was waiting by the forest, just in case he tried to break back that way. She saw him turning and extending his wings, and she quickly spread her own.

"This is Orni," Olivia said into her mic, choosing to use her Grimm name instead of her human name. "I'm going into pursuit of Drake."

"Be sure to not lose him," Ozpin's voice replied. She confirmed, and then flew up into the air. She quickly flew over to where he was, and was almost over it. When a loud bang went off. She let out a scream, causing the soundwaves to ripple, and then fell to the ground.

When she regained consciousness again, she looked around her. She saw a cloud of white smoke, and several people with their hands pressed against their ears.

"A flashbang," she said angrily. "Where did he get a fucking flashbang?" What she didn't see was the broken looking figure of Monica, who was just staring into the smoke. Maybe they wouldn't find him, unless he decided to come home.

_Derek_

He kept along his fight, until he was forced to land for concealment. He checked his cloak, and noticed how damaged it was. He let out a small sigh, and realized that he would have too either get it patched up or buy a new one. _Hopefully whoever the Rat has me setup with has a spare cloak on them. _He quickly moved his way into the city, making sure to keep a close hand on all the pieces of his cloak that were exposed so as not to raise too much suspicion. Though, almost no one was out at that point in time and those that were weren't paying attention. What's one more shaddy figure in the middle of Vale?

He quickly found his way to the motel that was booked, and opened up the door. He saw a man waiting at the counter, and his eyes perked up at the sight of him. He had long, black hair, silver eyes, and that same pale complexion. He wore a red vest with a white shirt, and white pants. Derek had to guess that this was either standard uniform, or this guy was really concerned with how he dressed.

"I would ask if you're Mr. Flame," the man started. "But I'm pretty sure that no one else looks quite as awful as you."

"Thanks," Derek said dryly. He casually pulled out his hand, and lit a fireball.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm here to help. My name's Gino. I own and run this motel, apart from cleaning. Rat called me up, and said you needed a place to lay low. He even covered your room costs. So, I'll make sure to keep your identity hidden, just do your part to not start shit. Clear?" Derek nodded, and Gino smiled. "Good. Your room is 26, which is the only one that is concealed from the general view of the public. Need anything before we get started?" Derek was about to say no, but then he remembered something.

"Have any spare cloaks?" He asked. "This one got a little shredded." Gino studied him for a while, and then slowly nodded.

"Yeah, I got one that might fit you." He walked over to the back of the room, and pulled out a gray and green cloak. He quickly tossed it over to Derek, who had already discarded his brown one. He briefly put it on, and felt how it fit. It was a little bit too large, but that'd work even better for him.

"Thanks," Derek said. He held out his old one, and started to burn it up. He quickly tossed it into an open, metal garbage can, and made sure that all that was left of it was ash. He felt in the pocket of his new cloak, and felt the room key already there. He quickly ran upstairs, and found his room. _And so tomorrow, I meet the one who will lead me to my parents._

**End: Long chapter, there ya go. Before anyone asks, Drake was able to hold off so many students because they were shooting not to kill him, and Drake's discarding of his weapons meant that he could be more aggressive. It wasn't so much that it was all the teams against him, it was half-effort from all of the teams going against him. Questions, comments, follows favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	6. Improvements

Child of Nothing Ch. 6: Improvements

**Thank you to ThatInternetGuy for pointing out something that I was unaware of. I do use quickly far too much, and I will quickly get rid of that {yeah, that one was intentional}. So let's get going.**

Derek sat awake in his bed. It hadn't even been a full night, but he couldn't sleep. For once, he wasn't sleeping as Drake, he was sleeping as Derek. Drake could rationalize the prospect of sleep, but Derek couldn't. He instead resorted to something that calmed him down, images.

He was spinning around the flames in his hands, making sure to keep them away from anything highly flammable. He spun an image of Monica, making sure to keep her face within his mind. He then quickly burned out the rest of his team, and then RWBY. He pushed them around the room, and just started to spin them. His friends... How much he would have loved to see them again on friendly terms. Unfortunately the odds of that happening wasn't great.

He heard a knock on the door, and extinguished his flames. He walked over to the looking hole, and peered through. He noticed someone. Not someone familiar to him, but someone who's uniform he recognized. Swiftly adjusting the pitch of his voice, Derek readied himself.

"Who is it?" He asked, raising his voice to a much higher level from it's normally throaty sound.

"Open up sir," a gruff voice replied.

"My apologies, but I was told to be cautious of strangers."

"Fine. I'm a hunter looking for a man who escaped Beacon Academy. That man is named Derek Flame, but he may be going by Drake right now." Derek felt his pulse quicken, and he just calmed himself down. "You may recognize him from some of the news feeds," the hunter continued. "He'll look an awful lot like a snake, or maybe even a dragon. He's expected to be wearing some kind of a brown cloak."

"I'll keep an eye out," Derek called out. "Thank you. Keep up the good work."

"I will." Derek watched as the man walked away, and he walked over to the wall. He leaned against it, and just slid down. He was in the middle of a crowded city. The prospect of having to stay hidden was absurd, even if he did pick up a new cloak.

A few moments later, he heard another knock. Sighing, and preparing his pitch, he took to his feet. He walked over to the door, and looked through the eye hole. He noticed a man standing there, but this one was different then the previous one. He had red hair that was sleeked back. His eyes were green, and very intelligent. He was wearing a red tuxedo with a light orange undershirt.

"Who is it?" Derek called out, keeping his voice at a higher pitch.

"Cut the crap, Mr. Flame," the man said instantly. "I know who you are, and I'd rather do business with you on a normal bases."

"Are you the representative?" Derek asked, completely baffled by the man's recognition of him.

"No, that might be a bit delayed. But I am a friend of the Rat." Derek sighed, and unlocked the four different locks on his door. He opened it up, and watched as the man calmly entered into his room.

"I hope that you can realize that we won't be completing all of our business in here," the man said.

"I'm sorry, but who are you and what do you want?" Derek asked. He calmly drew his weapons, and leveled them calmly at the man. "And be sure to answer."

"Ah, how rude of me," the man said instantly. "My name is Xavier. For our purposes, it's just Xavier. I am not your average man, I am an arms dealer. I was made aware that you were active a while ago when my brother took interest in you."

"Brother?" Derek asked.

"Ah, right. He goes by Xander Scars." Derek's grip on his weapons tightened, and Xavier just sighed. "No need for that, we both have a similar philosophy. Everything is business. And arms are my business, and I think that you could use something new. Tell me, how often do you use your weapons?" Derek pulled out his sword, and flew up to Xavier. "So I see," he muttered. "Come with me." Without another word, Xavier exited the room. Derek ensured that his cloak was wrapped tightly around him, and followed along.

_Beacon Academy: Ozpin's Office_

He watched over the tape once more, and carefully observed Drake's movements. He was doing everything so precisely, so well thought out. But something seemed off. The flashbang, where did he get it? If he had something like this, he would have used it sooner. Unless he was trying to clear out as many people as possible before making an escape...

No, it didn't matter. He had to get the troops going. Calmly placing a hand on his scroll, he pulled up the communications to all of his teachers.

"Organize a search party within the city," he ordered. "Get students that know him. I want him found immediately."

_Motel: Xavier's Room_

Derek cautiously walked inside the room, and carefully looked around it. There seemed to be nothing in there, but something about Xavier seemed shady.

"Now," Xavier started. "When I asked how often you used your weapons, you pulled out your sword. Tell me, how often do you use your spear?"

"I use it every fight," Derek protested.

"Yes, I'm sure that it's almost impossible for you to get through a fight without using both your weapons. But I can tell you, ditch the spear." Derek went to protest, but Xavier snapped his fingers. Suddenly, Derek couldn't speak. "Yes, a useful semblance in my field. Silence is golden my friend." Derek angrily puffed out flames, but Xavier just smiled.

"So," Xavier continued. "I believe that you would be better off adjusting to this day and age of technology. I understand that your natural resources are your most used weapon?" Derek just nodded, keeping a menacing gaze on the arms dealer. "Ah, so I think that I have just the thing for you." Xavier moved aside one of the TV monitors, and popped open a safe that was behind it. He opened it up, and sifted through many items. Derek could just hear the rattling around of metal, making him wonder as to exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, he couldn't ask since he was still muted.

"Got it," Xavier announced. He turned around, and laid out a metal gauntlet that looked more like a half sleeve. It was currently just metal plating and a hand piece, but it had several holes along the fist. "This would be nicknamed Dragon's Hand if you were to take it," Xavier explained. "It's a metal half sleeve, and it works in so many ways. Multiple short sword blades will extend from these," he pointed to a row of holes lining the fists, "holes. But only every other one. The others are reserved for SMG firearms, saving you a little bit of energy."

"So what are you saying?" Derek asked.

"I'm saying ditch the spear as a combat weapon and use this. Tell you what, I'm going to give this one to you on good faith of the Rat." Derek just stared at him, unsure of what the arms dealer's aim was. "Listen, I know who you are and what you're capable of. But because of that, I also know that you'd never buy this. If I ever get a chance to do future business with you, this is the smart move." He handed over several clips of flame Dust, and demonstrated how to load it. Regardless of what was Derek's opinion was of this, he was leaving with a new piece of equipment. _It might not be terrible for me to have this. I can still carry around the spear, but if I were to wear a glove I could conceal the entirety of this thing. Hm, perhaps a valuable asset after all._

_Later On: Derek's Room_

He flexed around his arm, and watched as the plating slid down into each other. It didn't feel like any more of a burden on his arm then his scales did, which was convenient. He picked out a glove that was floating around in his room, and placed it over the metal piece. Luckily, it didn't seem to show through the glove. He looked around the room, and noticed a sufficient lack of food. Despite downstairs having some food, he felt as though it would be good to get some more for his room.

He grabbed his cloak, and quickly dressed himself in it. He pulled the sleeve tight over his arm, and made sure that everything was done that way. He scavenged the room, and found some old shirts. He ripped one apart, and made a makeshift bandanna out of it. He looked over in a mirror, and nodded approvingly. Only a small portion around his eyes were actually visible. He nodded approvingly, and exited the room.

_Vale Open Market_

It was still early in the morning, and so not many people were present. But if there was ever a place for him to be, it was here. Monica, Gwen, and Nathan were all browsing along the market, attempting to talk to anyone who might know whether or not he was there. It had been like this for about an hour, and they hadn't seen any results. But then again, they weren't really expecting too many results.

"Alright," Monica said. "Staying as a group isn't working for us. I say we split up. At the very least this tease can be over faster." Nathan and Gwen nodded, and split off from Monica.

The acting leader just walked along the sides, trying to pick out anyone wearing a brown cloak. She noticed someone dressed in a gray and green one, and just kept along her path. But then she paused. They were an awfully large person... Well, it never hurt her to ask.

"Excuse me," Monica said, walking over to the man in the cloak. He kept his back turned, but looked back slightly at her.

"What is it?" He asked. His voice was at about normal pitch for a man, which was higher then Derek's.

"I was just wondering if you had seen someone that was covered in scales," Monica replied. "He would be about my age, but that would be hard to tell with his size."

"Look, lady, I've been bothered about this three times today. I'll tell you the same thing I told the first hunter and your friends, I've seen nothing. Now, can I continue to shop?" Monica just nodded, and walked off. She got around to Nathan and Gwen, and started to confer with them. But then, something clicked with her. He said that earlier, a hunter had bothered him. But why would he make the connection that Gwen and Nathan were her friends? Unless...

"Derek?" She called out. The man didn't move, but now Monica was ready. She started to walk towards the man. "Derek Flame, you in the green and gray cloak."

"What are you doing Moni?" Gwen asked, running to catch up with her. "Why are you calling out this guy?"

"Derek, please," Monica called out. "Just answer me." She saw his shoulders rise and fall, and he slowly turned to face her. She noticed a piece of green fabric blocking off his mouth, and really most of his face, and the rest of him completely concealed.

"Back off lady," he growled. "I don't know who you are, but leave me alone."

"You should have covered up those scales," Monica said, bluffing entirely. She couldn't see any scales, but she had to play her last card. She watched as the man paused, and then slowly took off his gloves. The first one revealed a metal fabrication around his arm, and the second one revealed a scaled hand. He lowered down his bandanna, and they saw his entire face.

"I thought I told you to back off," Drake growled.

"Derek, why are you doing this?" Monica asked. "Just come back with us, we can help you."

"Maybe," Drake agreed. "But you wouldn't be allowed too. I tried to get the leave for my project to be complete, but I wasn't allowed too."

"What project?" Gwen asked. Out of them, she was the only one that might have been content with letting him be for a while.

"Who cares about the project?" Nathan piped up. "He needs to come back."

"My project," Drake said rubbing the metal on his left arm casually. "Is about my past. Now, I'll let you take your guesses. Might I suggest you leave now?"

"Alright," Gwen said, taking a step back. She knew that at this range, anything that Drake, since they clearly weren't dealing with Derek, could throw at them would be too close for her wind to affect it. "We'll back off."

"Like hell we will," Nathan growled. He stepped forward, and Gwen tried to stop him.

"Very well," Drake said. He lifted up his arm, and clicked on the trigger mechanism. A barrage of flame Dust was shot out at the feet of the rest of DRGN, and they were forced to scatter. Drake turned around, and started to run.

"I've got this," Gwen said. She blew forth a wave of wind behind her, and launched herself in the direction of Drake.

"Nathan," Monica barked out. "Go after her." Nathan nodded, and took off in a sprint. Monica just started to call in that she had seen Drake. A wolf Faunus, a dragon Grimm hybrid, and a girl with control over wind. There was no chance that Monica could keep up with them, but that made her more angry.

_Drake_

He rounded a corner, and ducked out of sight. He knew that Nathan was more then likely coming after him, and then more would come. _Okay, I need to get back to the motel. But how? _

"Drake," a voice said. He turned quickly, and activated the blade part of Dragon's Hand. He saw that Gwen was standing behind him, her axe lowered to her side. "Shh, I'm trying to help you. We're upwind from Nathan right now."

"Why?" Drake asked.

"Because I'm the only one smart enough to figure out that this has to have something to do with your parents." Drake went dead silent, and his expression softened. "You'll need to run, but first I need you to hurt me in some way. Cut my leg and melt my axe." Drake stopped, not fully understanding what her aim was. But he complied.

He snatched the axe from her hands, and melted it down into a puddle of metal. He then flexed out his claws, and took a careful aim at Gwen's leg. He slashed across it, and watched as it buckled. He gently helped lower her to the ground, and then just waited for her next plan.

"Take off," she said. "Run. I'll wait for a few minutes, but then I'll call for help. I'll tell them you went... Where are you staying?"

"East," Drake said, not willing to divulge all of the info.

"Alright, I'll tell them South then. Go, now." Drake nodded, and took off in a sprint. After a few meters, he covered up his mouth and put on his gloves again.

True to her word, Gwen waited five minutes before calling for help. He had gotten away again, but how long would this dance continue?

**End: Check on my twitter {Codyknight22} for a picture by the wonderful TheWolfBane987 {on here and twitter} of Dragon's Hand. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	7. Upgraded Meetings

Child of Nothing Ch. 7: Upgraded Meeting

**So I fucked up, and lost about 500 or so words. God dammit I keep doing this.**

Ozpin listened to the story that Gwen was telling while she was getting her bandage. Gwen's cries had gone answered, and then she had retold her story when Derek wasn't able to be found. So far she had managed to successfully bluff everyone, and now all that she was left with was Ozpin. Admittedly, for most people, lying directly to Ozpin and hoping to get away with it would be terrifying. Luckily for her, Gwen was very good at lying.

"And so then he shot my axe with flames and took off," Gwen finished as the medic tightened the bandage.

"And so this was after he cut your leg?" Ozpin asked.

"Yup. I tried to stop him after that, but he just took off. Drake is a hard man to stop." Ozpin just sighed, and looked down at her leg.

"Luckily that'll heal soon enough," he remarked, but his voice sounded distant. "I want you to craft a weapon when you get to Beacon. Spend time designing it as soon as you can."

"Any reason you want me to move so quickly?" Gwen asked cautiously.

"I need you back out there," Ozpin said instantly. "Anyone who has a chance at outsmarting is someone I need. Get planning." Gwen nodded, but was smiling inwardly. She already knew exactly who she was going to ask for help. Perhaps not just with the weapon.

_Motel: Derek's Room_

He tossed aside his cloak, and let out a heavy sigh. Derek wasn't exactly beaming from what he was forced to do, but once again they wouldn't leave him alone. But one thing didn't really make sense to him, Gwen's behavior. Having known Gwen for a year, he knew that anything that she did was very deliberate. That meant she trusted him, which was slightly reassuring. But still, some things weighed down on his mind.

He twisted around his arm, and carefully inspected Dragon's Hand. He had to admit, the weapon had come in handy very quickly. He wouldn't have been able to do what he did with as much ease if it weren't for the gauntlet. He triggered the blades, and looked over the blades carefully. All of them had a much greater reach then his claws did, which did hint at usefulness. He put them back, and then went to take it off.

As soon as the gauntlet was off of his arm, he realized how he didn't really feel a difference in weight. Since Dragon's Hand had already proven it's usefulness, he strapped the weapon back on his arm. There were some slight tweaks he wanted to make, but that was for later. For now, he had to worry about the one with the information about his parents. But of course, that wouldn't come until later.

_Beacon Library_

Gwen was sitting alone at a long table. The library was mostly empty, and the librarian was concerned with other things at that moment. So Gwen had her bandaged leg kicked up on the closest chair. One important thing to always remember about Gwen is that no matter what, she could read you. Whether it'd be Ren, or Derek, or someone easy like Yang, she could read you. And perhaps she had read three very important people, and two of them were under the false impression that she needed assistance with weapons crafting.

"Hey Gwen," a cheery voice came from behind her. A wide grin spread across Gwen's face, and she turned to see the two people she wanted to see. Ruby and Blake.

"Hey guys," she greeted. "How's it going?"

"Good," Blake responded. "I see you can't say the same thing."

"Nah, I healed this a long time ago." Both Ruby and Blake went dead silent, and sat awkwardly for a moment.

"So you needed weapons help," Ruby started again. "I think that I can suggest-." Before she could get any further, Gwen slid over her scroll. Ruby and Blake took a look over it, and saw two animations resting there.

The first of them was of a long, standard issue sniper rifle that folded out into a long bow staff. The scope and trigger still remained on the staff, leading Ruby and Blake to believe that it was capable of firing in staff form. The second animation was one of a bow that seemed to have an odd design. The design logic was revealed as a small piece came off of the center, and revealed that it was two swords making up the shape of the bow. The animation showed the swords being unsheathed, and then put to the sides. It became clear that the swords were connected by a single chain. It also revealed that two pistols were within each of the hilts, but they weren't really visible.

"I've had these at the ready for a long time," she said happily. "Only reason I asked Derek to melt my axe. I of course took inspiration from Sun, Sal, Alan, even you Ruby. A bit of overkill for the performance, granted. But hey, no one is at all the wiser?"

"You helped Derek get away?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Oh but of course. Just as you two did when you did inventory and that one flashbang went missing." Both of the other girls went silent for a moment, and Gwen push forward. "I had done inventory every other day that week, I know that the flashbangs dipped. Funny how that didn't pop up in any reports. Then Derek uses a flashbang to get away from us."

"Um," Blake said, her eyes tracing the room for cameras. "What are you talking about?"

"Relax," Gwen said casually. "As far as Ozpin knows, you two are still looking over the design of the weapons."

"You really did plan this?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, I'm always prepared. Now, can we all agree that we're playing for the same team here?" Ruby and Blake nodded, and Gwen smiled. "Good. Now, click on the notes section." Ruby, who was holding the scroll, complied. "Type in the numbers 4572." Again, another quick series of tapping. "Now wait four seconds and add in 1440." Again, she complied. "Now wait another 10 seconds before tying in 49022." Ruby finally complied with the last of the commands, and a screen of code opened up. "Ladies, this is what I've been able to figure out about what Derek's trying to find. It's not a light read, by the way. So have fun with this, I'm going to nap." Gwen closed her eyes and leaned all the way back in her chair, leaving Ruby and Blake to finish up the report.

_Motel: Derek's room_

He was still sitting on his bed when the knock became audible. Rising to his feet, Derek shook himself out. If what he had heard was write, this was going to be the moment that he finally learned about his family. This was going to be that moment in time for him, and that was fairly exciting.

He walked over to the door, and checked through the peak hole, and saw a single sign.

_Here for Derek Flame. Regarding Parents._

Without another word, he opened it up. _Oh no, this clown._

"You," Derek growled.

"Nice to see you too," a man said. He had some noticeable traits to him. His red hair, orange eyes, and red jacket were nameable things. But, perhaps the most noticeable was the fact that half of his face was scarred. This man's name was Xander Scars. "Listen," Xander said annoyedly. "I would rather be shooting at you too, but here we are having to pretend to like each other."

"But I thought you said no beef," Derek growled.

"Yeah, but I'd rather be shooting at you or liking you. None of this between the lines crap."

"Why are you here?" Derek asked.

"Well invite me in, and I might tell you." Derek stepped aside, and let Xander into the motel. The mercenary found a chair, and took a seat.

"Why are you here?" Derek asked instantly.

"I got hired," Xander replied easily. "Basically, they don't fully trust you yet. So they decided to send me in first. If I think that you're telling me the truth, I'll lead you to where they're staying."

"Or," Derek began, activating Dragon's Hand. "I can torture you until you reveal that information."

"Yeah, but what's the fun in torturing a crazy man. Nice sleeve by the way." Derek looked down, and just nodded. "Brother?" Another nod from Derek. "Yeah, insanity runs in the family. Regardless, what information are you searching for?"

"Information about my parents," Derek said with as much authority as he could.

"Alright, you're in the clear." Xander stood up and moved towards the door.

"That's it?" Derek asked. "Really?"

"Yeah, I don't think you're pulling anything here. Plus, welcome to the side of the wanted men. I got asked to try and find you from multiple people. Anyways, are you going to follow along with me?" Derek immediately nodded, and threw on his cloak. He strapped on his sword, and walked out the door.

**End: Wow, this chapter was short. But I can promise a fairly eventful chapter next time around. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.**


	8. Haggling

Child of Nothing Ch. 8: Haggling

**And I'm back. Thank you everyone who wished me well during my hiatus, because that means I didn't start up any harsh feelings with this. So let's get back to it then.**

Gwen watched as the last of her weapons were finalized, and smiled proudly at them. Cerveum and Vent {Brain and Wind} were finally finished, making her immensely happy. Monica, Nathan, Ruby, and Blake all had attended the process since they were intrigued.

Gwen had been planning out getting her weapons for a while. She knew that she was skilled with all of these items, since she had been using them recreationally for years. The biggest plus was that the bow was such a skill weapon, that she could easily throw a few shots in the chase of Derek. Her aim was dead on, and she saw that as such a huge advantage to be able to silently kill while delivering mass amounts of firepower through Dust. Plus, not even Nathan knew that she had trained with the bow the way she did. Throwing a shot or two would be a relatively simple affair.

"So Gwen," Monica began. "This is a pretty drastic change in weaponry."

"Yup," Gwen agreed. "But I've been looking forward to this for a long time. I just pulled out some old plans, and went to work."

"But how confident are you in these?" Blake followed up.

"Fairly confident," Gwen replied. "I've been preparing for a replacement. I mean, I loved my axe, but it's getting a wee bit stale."

"But a bow?" Nathan asked. "I mean, can you use that thing?" Gwen smiled internally, but kept her outwards composure.

"I'm a fast learner," was all she let on. "Now come on, let's go put these babies on a test run."

_Streets of Vale: Derek_

He kept a tight hold on the hood of his cloak, ensuring that his face was covered up. He kept a close tail on Xander, making sure that he followed along. The mercenary expertly navigated the streets, knowing exactly where he was going. Soon, he ducked into a small house that was out of the way. Derek just trailed in behind him, and looked around.

The house was small, and not very impressive. There were three rooms, and none of them appeared to be occupied.

"Here we are," Xander said, putting the Hive and the Nest on the counter. "My employers should be arriving soon, seeing as of how they'd rather not have their location known right now. Needless to say, they don't really trust you. I mean, a Beacon runaway? Haha, this script writes itself. Either way, they'll be in shortly. I'll be here for crowd control." Xander jumped onto the counter, and picked up his weapons again.

Derek just nodded, and leaned against a wall. He casually triggered Dragon's Fist, and just studied it carefully. Up to that point, the weapon was fairly plain. Nothing about it was stylized, which made Derek reconsider some things. _A time to restyle it will come later. For now, I'll just have to use this._

The door opened up, and Derek immediately stood up. At first, his gaze narrowed. But then as he realized why he was there, he eased up a little bit.

"Well hello again Derek," a woman said. "It's so very good to see you again."

"Cinder," he growled. "Let's skip the small talk and just discuss business."

"I see I left a very positive impact on you," she said with a smile. "Roman, Markus, Cleo, if you would please join us." Without another word, the other three associates of Cinder walked into the room.

"Hello again dragon," Roman greeted instantly. "It's much easier to meet you without the danger of you killing me." Derek instantly whipped the SMG's attached to Dragon's Claw, and growled hostily.

"I only need Cinder's knowledge," he said in a low voice. "You're expendable."

"Ahem!" Cinder said loudly. "And if you want my knowledge, Roman must live. Are we clear?" Derek reluctantly lowered Dragon's Claw, but then looked around the room. He felt confident in his abilities to take them on, but they were in a location of their selection. Regardless, this wasn't what Derek wanted.

"Now then," Cinder said. "I understand that you're willing to pay for infromation about your parents? And it just happens that I'm the last living person who could tell you _anything _remotely helpful about them." Derek nodded, and pulled out a large bag of Dust. "Oh no, I'm terribly sorry my dear boy, but I don't want that little Dust from you. I see you as a much more valuable piece."

"What do you mean?" He asked angrily.

"It really is quite simple. Your strength, size, speed, knowledge, and so much more makes you so valuable to me. I see an opportunity to get some things from you. I will require you to partake in Dust heists, and every heist equals another piece of knowledge."

"Break the law?" Derek asked angrily. "Are you kidding me right now?"

"Oh, but you wouldn't have to do it as Derek. We have plenty of disguises for you."

"I'm covered head to toe in armor like scales with amber eyes and I can breath fire. This is just the tip of the iceberg." Cinder gestured over to Roman, who grabbed a small suitcase that he had. He popped it open, and pulled out a few things. The first of which was a mask with color contacts. The second was a full suit of armor plating. The final was a long tube that looked Dust powered.

"The armor should be the same grade of your scales," Cinder began. "The mask and contacts should conceal everything else. The tube can make a good excuse for the ability to breath fire. The only unfortunate part is your sword, we'd have to do without that. Though you do appear to have a new weapon in your possession." Derek grabbed Dragon's Hand, and Cinder nodded. "Yes, we can restylize that to match something else. Now what do you say?" Derek paused, really uncertain.

It was clear that Cinder had time to think this through. She had all of the pieces laid out in front of her, and all that was left was the final one. If he were to accept, that meant that laws would have to be broken. He was going to operate by a new set of rules, and none of them were ones that he wanted to. He would betray his friends, and if he were found out there might not be a turning back. But if he were to take it, his longest hope might be realized.

"When do we begin?" He asked easily.

"Right now," Cinder replied with a smile. "Suit up, it's time to get fighting."

**End: You probably hate the fact that I have a filler chapter here, but it's really gonna kick off these next few chapters. So questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated. **


	9. ALERT

**I pushed Child of Grimm into a sequel way too early. I'm not enjoying myself writing this story, and so therefor I will call it quits. I may eventually pick it up again, but it won't be anytime soon. So I bid you ado my friends, but I do have 3 other frequently updating stories if any of those strike your fancy. And I have an OC in A Harsh Reality.**

**So until next time,**

**-Codyknight22**


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